Receiving audio/video content

ABSTRACT

An audio/video content receiver being configured to receive media content from a content source by a broadcast data path, the media content being arranged as a plurality of media channels comprises a host module having a tuner configured to assign logical channel indices to the media channels to allow selection, at the host module, of one or more of the media channels for reproduction by selecting the corresponding logical channel index, the host module storing channel association data associating the logical channel indices with the received media channels; and a removable conditional access module (CAM), the CAM having an access control unit for decoding access-controlled encoded broadcast content, the host module and the removable CAM being arranged to provide an encrypted communication link for decoded access-controlled encoded broadcast content between the CAM and the host module; in which: the host module is configured to acquire channel association data via the broadcast data path; the CAM is configured to provide further channel association data to the host module; the host module comprises a detector configured to detect a conflict of logical channel index between the channel association data acquired by the host from the broadcast data path and the channel association data provided by the CAM and, in the case of a conflict, to detect one or more unused logical channel indices; and the CAM is configured to select one of the unused logical channel indices for use by a media channel for which the logical channel index defined in the CAM&#39;s channel association data conflicts with a logical channel index defined in the host&#39;s channel association data.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/385,957, filed Sep. 17, 2014, now pending, which is a National Stageof PCT/GB13/50772, filed Mar. 25, 2013, and claims the benefit ofpriority under 35 U.S.C. 119 of British Patent Application No.GB1207854.9, filed May 4, 2012, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

This disclosure relates to receiving audio/video content.

2. Description of Related Art

The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description which may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

As background technology, the DVB Common Interface (“Cl”) specificationallowed a television receiver or set top box (a “host”) to interact witha secure hardware module (a conditional access module or “CAM”) to allowthe host to decrypt access-controlled audio/video (audio, video or audioand video) content. The CI specification defines an interface betweenthe host and the CAM, so that the two will work together if both conformto the CI specification. This interoperability provided a significantbenefit of the CI system, as, in principle, it allowed consumers achoice of compatible products from different manufacturers.

In the CI specification the CAM interacts with a smart card and/or auser's personal identification number (“PIN”) to provide userauthentication.

However, a disadvantage of the original CI specification is that it gavethe potential for the decrypted digital content to be copied. Thisproblem arises from the way in which the host and CAM interact. In use,the host sends encrypted data to the CAM. The CAM checks the userauthentication and, assuming that the user is authenticated, it decryptsthe access-controlled content. The CAM then sends the decrypted contentback to the host over the CAM-host interface, which is generally aPCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)interface, though it is not limited to this interface—for example, a USBinterface could be used. This connection from the CAM to the hostrepresents a security weakness, in that the decrypted digital contentcan in principle be intercepted and unlawfully copied. This securityweakness meant that some content providers preferred integrated devices,which have the host and CAM as a single unit, because this allowed thembetter security over the transfer of unencrypted data from the CAM tothe host. However, this of course acted against the advantage associatedwith CI, relating to the potential interoperability of different CAMsand hosts.

The CI Plus specification was drafted to address these problems, by twomain routes. CI Plus provides a secure interface between the CAM and thehost, so that decrypted content data is not sent in clear form betweenthe two devices. Also, CI Plus provides for the authentication of boththe host and the CAM, rather than the CI technique of authenticatingonly the CAM.

The authentication system uses certificate hierarchy so that the hostand the CAM must both have been issued certificates by an authority(such as CI Plus LLP).

The PCMCIA interface between a host and a CAM is protected by encryptingthe decrypted content data before it is sent from the CAM to the host,and then decrypting it at the host. This encryption is separate to theaccess control encryption-decryption established by the contentprovider, and is specific to each particular CAM-host pair. Keys areexchanged between the CAM and host by the Diffie-Hellman key exchangetechnique. The keys are also cycled from time to time, so that even if akey was compromised, it would in any event be changed a few secondslater.

The CI Plus specification version 1.3 includes a so-called operatorprofile arrangement. Operator profiles allow the selection of a networkinformation table (NIT) from a choice of different sources. The natureof the NIT will now be described.

The NIT carries network specific information, and may relate to anetwork encompassing more than one radio frequency (RF) channel, andmore than one transport stream (TS). Information carried by the NIT caninclude radio frequencies or RF channel numbers applicable to thatnetwork, and a mapping between logical channel numbers (LCNs) andprogramme identifiers broadcast by the network. Logical channel numbersrelate to the order in which television channels are presented to theuser for selection at an individual host (by a channel selector or anelectronic programme guide (EPG)) and are generally independent of theactual mechanism by which the television channels are transmitted. Forexample, in the United Kingdom the broadcast channel BBC1 is assigned toLCN 1 (in a terrestrial system) or 101 (in a satellite system). Thisassignment is entirely independent of the actual radio frequency bywhich the channel BBC1 is transmitted, and is also entirely independentof which packet identifiers (PIDs) the BBC1 transport stream isallocated for transmission. The NIT provides a mapping between the LCNand the transmission information such as RF channel or TS. To tune to aparticular channel such as BBC1, a receiver may consult the NIT toestablish which TS carries BBC1, then tune to the RF frequency carryingthat TS, then filter packets from that TS with PID=0 to obtain theprogramme allocation table (PAT), then (once a channel selection ismade) use information from the PAT to filter packets of the programmemap table (PMT) to obtain the PIDs of so-called elementary streamscorresponding to the desired channel (BBC1), then filter the packets toobtain the required PIDs to allow decoding of those elementary streams.

Previously, the NIT was delivered as part of the broadcast signal. Theoperator profile arrangement of CI Plus 1.3 allows two choices ofdelivery of the NIT, and in particular allows the potential delivery ofa NIT via the CAM rather than reception as an over the air (OTA)delivery.

There are two operator profile settings in CI Plus 1.3:

profile_type=0: in this mode, the NIT is determined from the broadcastinformation; and

profile_type=1: in this mode, the CAM delivers a NIT to the host, andthe host generates a LCN list dependent upon the NIT delivered by theCAM.

The CAM can generate the NIT from various sources. In principle, the NITmay be pre-programmed into the CAM. Or the CAM can receive the NIT as anOTA signal directed to that CAM or to CAMs provided by a particularnetwork. Or the network can convey the NIT to the CAM by the low speedcommunications (LSC) mechanism provided by the CI Plus specification,using a secure separate connection such as an internet connection. Theoperator profile setting can also be provided by the CAM based onoperator data from any of these sources.

In operation, the host queries the CAM to ask which operator profile isapplicable. If the operator profile is type 0, then the hostdemultiplexes the NIT from the broadcast signal. If the operator profileis type 1, then the CAM provides the NIT to the host.

SUMMARY

This disclosure provides an arrangement as defined in claim 1.

Various further respective aspects and features are defined in theappended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary, but are notrestrictive, of the present technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description ofexemplary embodiments when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a host device with a CAM and a smartcard;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a conditional access (CA) systemincorporating the host device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating aspects of the operation ofthe system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the operation of a CA system accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a profile query process;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a process of a CAM obtaining a NIT; and

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the combination of NITs from a CAM andfrom a broadcast signal.

To establish the technical context of the present embodiments, abroadcast system having a tuner and decoder arrangement will first bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a host device 10 is shown here as a televisionset but could be, for example, a set top box (noting that the expression“set top” does not imply, to the skilled person, any requirement for aparticular physical position of the device in use). The host device 10receives an access-controlled television signal 15 via a broadcast datapath. This could be, for example, a satellite television signal receivedby a satellite dish (not shown), a terrestrial television signal, acable television signal or the like, although other types of televisionsignal include a television signal broadcast or transmitted by aninternet protocol (IP) packet signal. One technique is to encode an MPEGtransport stream (TS) into IP packets so that an IP packet carries anumber (for example 7 or 8) TS packets. Another technique encodes thetelevision signal as a so-called ISO (International StandardsOrganisation) BMFF (Base Media File Format) arrangement described in thereference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_base_media_file_format, thecontents of which are incorporated into the present description byreference. In such arrangements the IP interface at a host device isgenerally considered within the art as a “tuner” even though it may haveno radio frequency circuitry or functionality. It does however act in asimilar way to a radio frequency tuner in that it selects an IP streamfrom a multitude of possible IP streams. It may also provide bufferingof the received IP stream.

The host device 10 has a PCMCIA slot 20 which includes electricalconnections and a physical space for a plug-in module, both according tothe PCMCIA standard. In other embodiments, a universal serial bus (USB)or other electrical interface can be used instead of the PCMCIAinterface.

A CI Plus conditional access module, referred to as a CICAM 30, is aPCMCIA module which can be plugged into the PCMCIA slot 20. When theCICAM 30 is fully plugged into the slot 20, electrical connections aremade between connectors on the CICAM 30 and cooperating connectorswithin the slot 20.

The CICAM itself may be a cardless module or may have a slot 40 intowhich a so-called smart card 50 may be inserted. The smart card isremovable and carries information defining a current user of the contentreceiver in a tamper-proof, secure and non-volatile form. When the smartcard is fully inserted in the slot 40, a data connection is formedbetween the smart card 50 and the CICAM 30, either by using cooperatingelectrical connectors on the smart card 50 and within the slot 40, or byusing a known contactless connection technique in which data istransferred wirelessly over a very short range such as 1-2 cm.

A data link 68, called a Low Speed Communications (LSC) link, providesdata communications between the head end and the CICAM, via the host'sIP (Internet Protocol) port—or in other words the internet connection ofthe host. The LSC link may therefore be provided by, for example, anencrypted internet data link between the host and the head end. The term“Low Speed” refers in a general sense to a comparison between the speedof the LSC and the data rate of the broadcast data path, which would (inthe case of a satellite or terrestrial data path) generally be muchhigher. But no absolute value of speed or data rate is implied. In thisway, the CAM and the content source are configured to establish a securecommunications link via an internet data connection.

Accordingly the host device and the CICAM cooperate to provide anaudio/video content receiver being configured to receive media contentfrom a content source by a broadcast data path, the media content beingarranged as a plurality of media channels, the content receivercomprising: a host module (such as the host device 10) having a tunerconfigured to assign logical channel indices to the media channels toallow selection, at the host module, of one or more of the mediachannels for reproduction by selecting the corresponding logical channelindex, the host module storing channel association data associating thelogical channel indices with the received media channels; and aremovable conditional access module (CAM) (such as the CICAM 30), theCAM having an access control unit for decoding access-controlled encodedbroadcast content, the host module and the removable CAM being arrangedto provide an encrypted communication link for decoded access-controlledencoded broadcast content between the CAM and the host module.

Such a receiver may be configured to display a channel selection list toallow user selection of a channel according to the logical channel indexassociated with that channel.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the host device 10 in the context of aconditional access system. A so-called head end 60 represents the sourceof the access-controlled television signal 15. The head end mayrepresent, for example, an uplink station of a satellite broadcaster ora signal distribution centre of a terrestrial or cable broadcaster. TheCA system scrambles content at the head end using a CA systemencryption. The head end can also introduce other CA-related informationinto the encrypted data stream which enables the CICAM to descramble thecontent and to manage the subscriber's (user's) access and entitlements.

The head end 60 sends the television signal 15 to the host 10 which inturn passes the signal to the CICAM 30 for decryption of the accesscontrol encryption. The CICAM 30 then re-encrypts the signal using alocal encryption and sends the re-encrypted signal back to the host 10via the PCMCIA connection. The host decrypts the signal received fromthe CICAM 30 for display on a display screen or for supply to anotherdevice 70 such as a hard disk based video recorder.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the systemof FIG. 2. The detailed operation of the system of FIG. 3 is describedin the CI Plus Specification 1.3 (2010-01), available (at the time offiling) at http://www.ci-plus.com/data/ci-plus_specification_v1.3.pdf.This document is incorporated by reference into the present description.The present description of FIG. 3 simply provides an overview of thatdetailed operation, for the purposes of placing the subsequentdescription into the appropriate technical context.

As before, FIG. 3 shows the head end 60 (which receives a content signalfrom a content provider 90), the host device 10, the CICAM 30 and thesmart card 50. The signal 15 is shown passing from the head end 60 tothe host device 10. The secure interface 80 between the host device 10and the CICAM 30 is referred to as the common interface.

Conditional Access

Known CA systems provide techniques by which a user can be denied orallowed access to a digital television stream. Access is provided onlyto those subscribers or users with valid payment accounts. In practicalterms, a user is provided with a smart card 50 identifying that user in(ideally) a tamper-free way, and the system is set up so that only userswith valid smart cards are able to obtain access to theaccess-controlled content.

Access control is provided by the use of scrambling and encryption. Thecontent signal is scrambled with an 8-byte control word, which ischanged frequently (up to several times per minute) to avoid the CAsystem being compromised by outside knowledge of the control word. Thecontrol words are transmitted to the receiver's CICAM, for descramblingof the scrambled content, in an encrypted form as an entitlement controlmessage (ECM). The CICAM decrypts the control word to allow descramblingof the access-controlled content only when it is authorised to do so byreceipt of an entitlement management message (EMM). EMMs are specific toeach user or group of users; the CICAM confirms the rights which an EMMprovides by comparing the user identification provided in the EMM withuser information provided in the smart card 50. The EMMs can be sentless frequently than the ECMs, with intervals between successive EMMs incurrent commercial systems varying between 12 minutes and six weeks.

ECMs and EMMs themselves are well known message types in MPEG televisiondistribution systems. The format of their payloads can be specific tothe CA system in use, with the differences between formats often beingsemantic rather than having technical significance.

Head End

The head end 60 comprises a CA encryptor 61, a key generator 62, anentitlement control unit 63 and a multiplexer and modulator 64.

The content provider 90 supplies content (such as television signals) tothe head end 60. The head end 60 applies conditional access (CA)scrambling and encryption to the content.

More specifically, the CA encryptor 61 encrypts or scrambles the contentusing a CA key as a control word. The CA key is generated by the CA keygenerator 62. The scrambled content generated by the CA encryptor issupplied to the multiplexer and modulator 64.

The CA key is also provided to the entitlement control unit 63, whichgenerates ECMs based on the CA keys and EMMs based on subscriber datadefining which subscribers are entitled to descramble which contentstreams. The ECMs and EMMs are supplied to the multiplexer and modulator64. One or more scrambled content streams from the CA encryptor 61, oneor more unscrambled (open access or “free to air”) content streams andthe entitlement control messages are multiplexed together to form atransport stream such as an MPEG2 transport stream. Known formats areused to carry the content data, the ECMs and the EMMs. The ECMs, EMMsand data defining the type of scrambling used on each elementary stream(corresponding to individual scrambled content streams) are provided ina known format and are referenced using known techniques in a programmemap table (PMT and/or in a conditional access table (CAT) which has apredetermined programme identifier (PID) of 0x001, so that the CAT canbe recognised at the CICAM.

The multiplexed transport stream is then modulated by the multiplexerand modulator 64 for transmission as a cable, satellite or terrestrialbroadcast signal 15.

Host Device

The host device 10 comprises a tuner 11, a demodulator and demultiplexer12, a demultiplexer (“demux”) 14 and a CC (content control) decryptor13. Note that the host device may have other additional functions; forexample, a host device may provide two or more of satellite broadcastreception, cable broadcast reception, terrestrial broadcast receptionand network (IPTV) television reception. Accordingly, the content sourcemay be configured to send data to the host module as one or more of:internet protocol (IP) data, satellite broadcast data, terrestrialtelevision broadcast data and cable broadcast data.

Depending on the type of broadcast signal 15, the tuner acts totransform the received signal back to baseband, so that the demodulatorand demultiplexer 12 can select and demultiplex a single elementarycontent stream and associated CAT data from the received signal. Thecontent stream and ECM/EMM data are passed via the common interface 80to the CICAM 30.

In the case of access-controlled content data, at this stage the contentdata is still scrambled as it is passed via the common interface 80 tothe CICAM 30. This part of the transmission over the common interface 80is therefore secure by virtue of the CA encryption.

Assuming the ECM and EMM allow it, the CICAM 30 descrambles the contentdata and re-encrypts it using a content control (CC) encryption. The wayin which this is done will be described below. The CC encrypted data isreturned to the host device 10 where it is demultiplexed by the demux 14and decrypted by the CC decryptor 13, so that it can be displayed orpassed to another device 70 as clear content.

The host device therefore operates to receive audio/video content andhas a content decoder (the CAM module for example) capable of decodingan audio/video programme from a packetized data stream (such as a TS) byusing data packets (such as EMM/ECM) defining decryption information.The received TS may comprise one or more programmes having data packetsidentified by respective sets of packet identifiers (such as PIDs) andcomprising identification data (PAT, PMT, CAT and the like) mappingprogrammes to respective sets of the PIDs.

The host device is also configured to acquire channel association datavia the broadcast data path, or in other words, to receive a broadcastNIT. This feature will be described further below.

CICAM

The CICAM 30 may be a CAM according to the Common Interface plusstandard and comprises a CA decryptor 31, a CA key generator 32, a CCencryptor 33 and a CC key generator 34.

The CA decryptor 31 and the CA key generator 32 may be considered as anaccess control unit for decoding access-controlled broadcast content orother data. The CC key generator 34 and the CC encryptor 33 of the CICAM30, and the demultiplexer 14 and the CC decryptor 13 of the host device10 cooperate to provide an encrypted communication link (the commoninterface 80) for decoded access-controlled encoded broadcast content,between the CICAM and the host device.

The CA decryptor 31 uses keys generated from received ECMs and EMMs bythe CA key generator 32, using checks of the user's identity from thesmart card 50, to descramble the received access-controlled content.This part of the operation of the CICAM uses known CA techniques toretrieve and apply the CA keys.

Clear content data is passed from the CA decryptor 31 to the CCencryptor 33. However, as this data transfer is entirely internal to theCICAM, it can be rendered secure and tamper proof by known techniquessuch as by providing the CA decryptor 31, the CC encryptor 33 and theclear content interface within a single integrated circuit device.

The CC encryptor 33 encrypts the descrambled content using a CC keysupplied by the CC key generator 34. This key is established by a secureinterchange between the CICAM 30 and the host device 10, and is specificto that CICAM-host device pair. The CC-encrypted content is passed overthe common interface 80 to the host device 10. Therefore, this part ofthe common interface is also secure, as the content data is CC-encryptedas it passes to the host device.

Accordingly, the host module and the CAM may be arranged to provide anencrypted communication link for decoded access-controlled encodedbroadcast content between the CAM and the host module.

Key Exchange

The CICAM 30 and the host device 10 both contain logic, firmware orsoftware providing algorithms for Diffie-Hellman (DH) secure keyexchange, hashing and encryption using the known algorithms SHA-256, DESand AES, respective certificates issued by a certifying authority suchas CI Plus LLP, and private keys with the corresponding public keys.

When the CICAM 30 is first associated with the host device 10, the CICAM30 initiates an authentication process with the host device 10. In thisprocess, each device verifies the other's certificate, and the DH keyexchange process takes place so as to securely share keys between thetwo devices. In particular, the CICAM first requests that the hostdevice provides its certificate data. The CICAM verifies the signatureon the host device's certificate. The same process is then carried outby the host requesting and verifying the CICAM's certificate. The CICAMand the host then each demonstrate that they possess the private keycorresponding to the public key in the certificate by signing a DHpublic key and sending it to the other device for validation. The CICAMthen obtains and verifies an authentication key AKH from the host. TheCICAM and host start to compute and exchange key data for the encryptionand authentication of data sent over the common interface 80. In thisway, the key, key pair or other key information established by the CICAMand the host for communication over the common interface 80 is specificto that CICAM-host pair.

After authentication, the CICAM also starts to compute the CC key. TheCICAM can also instruct the host device to compute the CC key. The CCkey is then used as described above to encrypt content data passed fromthe CICAM 30 to the host device 10, according to the AES algorithm.Therefore, it will be understood that the keys used for the securecommon interface 80 are specific to a particular CICAM-host pair.

The host device of FIG. 3 can operate under the control of a centralprocessing unit which in turn may be a programmable processor deviceoperating according to software or firmware stored in a memory (whichmay in turn be a non-transitory machine-readable memory such as amagnetic or optical disk store or a non-volatile semiconductor memory).

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the operation of a CA system accordingto an embodiment.

In particular, FIG. 4 schematically illustrates aspects of thecommunication between the CICAM 30 and the host 10. Not all of thefeatures of FIG. 3 are shown in FIG. 4, for clarity of the diagram, buttheir presence is assumed in the following discussion.

The CICAM 30 receives a transport stream from the tuner 11 and thedemodulator and demultiplexer 12 of the host. A box 110 schematicallyillustrates the process carried out by the CA decryptor 31, the CA keygenerator 32, the CC key generator 34 and the CC encryptor 33, to carryout network (CA) decryption and CICAM encryption of a desired channel onthe received transport stream. In this regard, the function of the itemsrepresented by the box 110 is as described with reference to FIG. 3above. Note that all communications between the CICAM 30 and the host 10are via the common interface 80. The data path involving the box 110represents the flow of data during normal (television channel receiving)operation of the system.

In order to detect a NIT, the CICAM 30 employs a demultiplexer 120, aNIT generator 130 and NIT storage 140. The demultiplexer 120 alsoreceives the transport stream and demultiplexer is from it data which isprovided by the service operator or another source, such as thebroadcast NIT, a service delivery table (SDT), private data and thelike. These data are passed to the NIT generator 130. Here, the data areassembled into a NIT which is stored in the NIT storage 140. Other datacomponents may be included within the generated NIT, such as data fromthe smartcard 50, or data received via the LSC link 68. The NIT which isgenerated is a quasi-static data structure, which is to say that it doesnot change very often. It is therefore appropriate to store thegenerated NIT in the NIT storage 140 for future use.

At the host, the CC decryptor 13 and the demultiplexer 14 receive the CCencrypted programme data from the box 110, decrypts it and demultiplexesit. The demultiplexed programme data is passed to a NIT generator orloader 150. The NIT generator or loader 150 can derive a NIT from thereceived programme data or can load a NIT from the NIT storage 140 ofthe CICAM 30.

In a further mode of operation, to be described below, the NIT generatoror loader 150 can combine a NIT received from the broadcast signal and aNIT provided by the CICAM 30 to form a composite NIT. This mode ofoperation will be referred to as profile_type=2.

Based on the received NIT (in profile_type=0), the NIT provided by theCICAM 30 (in profile_type=1) or the composite NIT (in profile_type=2),the NIT generator or loader 150 stores a list of LCNs in a LCN liststore 160.

A final component of the host 10 to be described is a host receivercontroller 170. The controller 170 controls operations of the host,including those operations represented by functional featuresillustrated in FIG. 3, and controls interaction with the CICAM 30. Inrespect of the functionality being described here, the controller 170communicates with the NIT generator 130 of the CICAM 30 so that the NITgenerator 130 may instruct the host to tune to a requiredradio-frequency channel in order that a transport stream from which aNIT can be derived is available to the CICAM 30. The controller 170 canalso query the CICAM to establish the current profile_type and caninstruct the NIT generator 132 provide the latest version of the CICAM'sNIT to the host.

Once the LCN list store 160 has been populated by the NIT generator orloader 150, the controller 170 can control channel reception operationsof the host according to the mapping between transport streams, PIDs andLCNs provided by the data in the LCN list store 160.

Aspects of the operation of the CA system described above will now bediscussed with reference to FIGS. 5-7, in which processing operationscarried out by the CICAM 30 are represented as a left-hand column asdrawn, and processing operations carried out by the host 10 arerepresented by a right-hand column as drawn.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a profile query process. At a step 200,the CICAM 30 reports the current profile status to the host on opening a“session”, which is to say, upon initialisation of an interactionbetween the CICAM and the host. The profile status simply indicateswhether a profile is established for the current operator and networkand whether the CICAM 30 holds a currently valid CICAM NIT in respect ofthe current operator and network.

At a step 210, the host 10 queries the CICAM 30 to find the actualprofile for the current operator and network. The CICAM 30 sends a replyat a step 220. In particular, the step 200 involves the CICAM 30reporting to the host 10 which of the available values of profile_typeis applicable, namely profile_type={0,1,2}, plus any other data whichthe host may require or request in respect of the current operator andnetwork. If the profile_type=1 or 2 and the CICAM 30 already holds avalid CICAM NIT in respect of the current operator and network, then theCICAM can transmit the CICAM NIT to the host at the step 220.

If the indication at the step 200 was that a valid profile is notcurrently established, the steps 210 and 220 can be omitted.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a process of the CICAM obtaining a NITand passing it to the host (that is, providing further channelassociation data to the host) with this process taking place whenrequired by the host and in circumstances that the CICAM has indicated,at the step 200, that the CICAM 30 does not hold a currently validprofile for the current operator and network.

In some embodiments, the search for a CICAM NIT is initiated by thehost. Such an arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 6, in which, at a step230, the host initiates a new search by sending an instruction to theCICAM 30 (for example, the controller 170 sends such an instruction tothe NIT generator 130). In other embodiments, the step 230 can beomitted and the CICAM 30 can initiate the search process by startingwith the step 240 to be described.

At the step 240, the NIT generator 130 of the CICAM 30 instructs thehost to tune to a required radio-frequency channel in order that theappropriate transport stream can be received and processed by the CICAM30 in order to derive the CICAM NIT. This involves the NIT generator 130sending such an instruction to the controller 170 which in turn (at astep 250) controls the operation of the tuner 11 to tune to the correctradio-frequency channel.

Once the appropriate transport stream is received by the CICAM 30, theNIT generator 130 obtains a CICAM NIT as described above, stores it inthe NIT storage 140 and sends a status report (at a step 260) back tothe controller 170 to indicate that a CICAM NIT is available.

At a step 270, the controller 170 sends a request to the NIT generator132 provide the CICAM NIT to the host. In response, at a step 280, theNIT generator 130 causes the CICAM NIT to be read from the NIT storage140 and provided to the NIT generator or loader 150, which in turnstores data derived from the NIT (such as a schedule of LCNs) in the LCNlist store 160.

The process described with reference to FIG. 6 relates to the CICAMobtaining the CICAM NIT from broadcast information. As discussed above,however, this is not the only means by which the CICAM 30 can generatethe CICAM NIT. For example, the NIT generator 130 may communicatedirectly with the content provider 90 using, for example, the LSC link68. The CICAM 30 may also communicate with the smartcard 50 to acquireinformation from the smartcard 50. In order to prepare the CICAM NIT,the CICAM may combine any one or more of these sources of informationaccording to a combination algorithm established by the contentprovider. In embodiments, the CAM may be configured to obtain the CAM'schannel association data, at least in part, from the content sourceusing the communications link (the LSC). In other embodiments, the CAMmay be configured to obtain the CAM's channel association data, at leastin part, from broadcast data addressed to a subset of CAMs of which theCAM is a member.

The process described above leads to the CICAM 30 providing a CICAM NITto the host 10 on request by the host 10.

To recap, three operator profile settings are under discussion here.These are:

profile_type=0: in this mode, the NIT is determined from the broadcastinformation;

profile_type=1: in this mode, the CAM delivers a NIT to the host, andthe host generates a LCN list dependent upon the NIT delivered by theCAM; and

profile_type=2: in this mode, the CAM delivers a NIT to the host, andthe host generates a LCN list in dependence upon a composite NIT derivedfrom a combination of the broadcast NIT and the CICAM NIT.

It will, however, be appreciated that embodiments may operate only inthe mode referred to above as profile_type=2. That is to say, the optionof operating in profile_type={0,1} is not essential to the presenttechnology; instead, the system could always operate in a manner whichcombines any NIT information provided by the CICAM with any NITinformation obtained from the broadcast signal. In this case, it wouldbe unnecessary for the host to query the current profile_type, andindeed the variable profile_type would not be needed at all. So, thearrangements for combining the two NITS into a composite NIT (to bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 7) are applicable whether this isthe only mode of operation of the system or whether the system canoperate according to the different values of profile_type discussedabove.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the combination of NITs from a CICAMand from a broadcast signal. The process starts from the end of FIG. 6,in that the CICAM 30 has delivered a CICAM NIT to the host. It is alsoassumed that the host 10 has derived a broadcast NIT itself, and so hastwo versions of the NIT available, to be combined into the compositeNIT. In general terms, the steps carried out by the host in FIG. 7 maybe performed by the controller 170, and the steps carried out by theCICAM in FIG. 7 may be performed by the NIT generator 130.

Each NIT may contain various types of information, but for the purposesof the present discussion the significant information fields are: LCN,channel name and channel location (noting that, as a minimum, only therespective transport stream needs to be specified, because the PIDs foreach channel within a transport stream are defined by the PAT/PMT ofthat transport stream). Purely as examples for use in the followingdiscussion, and omitting any additional information other than the threefields identified above, the CICAM NIT and the broadcast NIT are shownbelow. The symbol “ . . . ” indicates additional data rows which areomitted for clarity of the following discussion, and the symbol “------”indicates that a data field is empty or undefined. The examples refer tobroadcast channels in current use (at the filing date of the presentapplication) in the United Kingdom, but it will be appreciated that thetechniques are generally applicable to other broadcast channels.

(a) Broadcast NIT: LCN Channel name Channel location 1 BBC1 TS-A 2 BBC2TS-A . . . . . . . . . 7 — — 8 Channel 4 TS-B 9 Channel 5 TS-B . . . . .. . . . 23  — — 24  — — . . . . . . . . .

(b) CICAM NIT: LCN Channel name Channel location 1 BBC1 TS-A 2 BBC2 TS-A. . . . . . . . . 7 — — 8 Operator service 1 TS-C 9 Channel 5 TS-D . . .. . . . . . 23  Operator Service 2 TS-C 24  — — . . . . . . . . .

Referring back to FIG. 7, at a step 300 the host combines, or attemptsto combine, the two NITs. In the first instance, the host, at the step300, forms a simple additive combination of the two NITs so that theinformation associated with each available value of LCN is included fromboth of the NITs to be combined.

So, referring to the examples given above, the first attempt at acomposite NIT generated by the step 300 would include the followinginformation:

(c) Composite NIT at step 300: LCN Channel name Channel location 1 BBC1TS-A 2 BBC2 TS-A . . . . . . . . . 7 — — 8 Channel 4, Operator service 1TS-B, TS-C 9 Channel 5 TS-B, TS-D . . . . . . . . . 23  Operator Service2 TS-C 24  — — . . . . . . . . .

Where the information is identical between the two NITs, thatinformation is carried forward into the composite NIT. Where informationis included only in one NIT but there is no conflict of LCN, for examplein respect of the LCN 23 where only one of the NITs defines a channel atthat LCN, the information from the one of the NITs which defines achannel at that LCN is used. In the case where the two NITs definedifferent information in respect of a particular LCN, both sets ofinformation are included by the step 300 and the conflict for collisionis dealt with by the steps 310 onwards. An example of such a collisionoccurs in respect of LCN 8, where the two NITs define differentrespective services at that LCN.

In the above example, LCN 9 has the same channel name in the two NITs,but two associated TSs. In instances like this, the matter can bedecided by convention. In the present example, the convention is thatthe Broadcast NIT takes precedence over the CICAM NIT.

As an additional variant, the host could inform the CAM of channel namelocations where the channel name is the same but the TS is different.This would allow the CAM to rename a channel in the CICAM NIT to adifferent name, perhaps as a variant of the original name, for exampleby adding a single letter suffix. For example, the channel BBC2 could berenamed as BBC2W (W for Wales).

At the step 310, collisions (as defined above, where different servicesare defined by the two NITs in respect of the same LCN) are detected bythe host, and the host notifies the CICAM of the collision, giving theCICAM at least the LCN (which may be referred to as the logical channelindex) at (or on, or in respect of) which the collision has occurred. Inother words, the host module comprises a detector configured to detect aconflict of logical channel index between the channel association dataacquired by the host from the broadcast data path and the channelassociation data provided by the CAM and, in the case of a conflict, todetect one or more unused logical channel indices. If no collisions aredetected at the step 310 then control can be passed directly to a step380 to control reception.

At a step 320, the CICAM requests a new location from the host. In otherwords, the CICAM request a different LCN for the service originallyallocated to the conflicting LCN. Note that this may occur several timeswithin the NITs, so that in each case the collision is notified to theCICAM at this step 310 and, again in each case, the CICAM requests a newlocation for that channel at the step 320. Where there are multiplecollisions, the notifications and requests can be dealt with in parallelor as a series of interactions between the host and the CICAM. In otherwords, the CAM is configured to select one of the unused logical channelindices for use by a media channel for which the logical channel indexdefined in the CAM's channel association data conflicts with a logicalchannel index defined in the host's channel association data.

At a step 330, the host consults the initial composite NIT generated atthe step 300, and detects currently unused LCN values. In embodiments,the host also detects which of those currently unused LCN values arenumerically closest to the (or each) LCN value at which a collision hasoccurred. At a step 340, the host communicates to the CICAM the LCN(s)representing available locations.

In an alternative embodiment, instead of performing the step 320, thehost may combine the steps 310 and 330, so that in effect the hostreceives the NIT from the CAM, combines the NITs at the step 300,detects collisions and reports to the CAM the available locations. TheCAM can either select one of the offered locations, or reply with arequest for a different LCN, or simply set a different LCN.

In fact it is strictly necessary only to notify one available locationto the CICAM in respect of each collision, because the way in whichavailable locations are detected, from the initial attempt (c) at thecomposite NIT, means that a location detected by the host as availablewill by definition be unused within the CICAM NIT. However, to provideflexibility to the CICAM, and in particular to the operator or providerof the CICAM NIT, more than one available location can be notified tothe CICAM in respect of each collision, at the step 340.

At a step 350, the CICAM selects one of the notified available locationsin respect of each LCN for which there is a collision. The selection maybe arbitrary (for example, the numerically lowest LCN of those offeredin respect of each collision), or may be made in consultation with theoperator (for example, by interaction over the LSC link 68), or may bemade according to a predetermined algorithm or look-up table provided atmanufacture or by a previous data communication from the operator. Forexample, where the logical channel indices or LCNs are numericalindices, and the CAM may be configured to select the lowest-numbered ofthe unused logical channel indices provided by the host. The CAM may beconfigured to communicate to the content source that a logical channelindex of a channel defined by the CAM's channel association data hasbeen changed in response to a conflict with the host's channelassociation data.

From the step 350, control passes both to an optional step 360, at whichthe CICAM may notify the operator of the conflict and its resolution(for example, by interaction over the LSC link 68), and to a step 370 atwhich the host establishes a final version of the composite NIT usingthe locations selected by the CICAM at the step 350 to overcome anycollisions. After the step 370 control can either be passed to the step380 to control reception, or control can be passed back to the step 300so that any collisions are again detected.

In the present example, assume that the host offered the CICAM the LCNs7 and 24 as alternative available locations in respect of theconflicting “Operator service 1” at LCN 8. Assume also that at the step350, the CICAM selected the LCN 7 for that service, for example on thebasis that LCN 7 was the numerically lowest of the available locationsoffered by the host. Therefore, at the step 370 the host establishes thefinal composite NIT as follows:

(d) Final composite NIT at step 370: LCN Channel name Channel location 1BBC1 TS-A 2 BBC2 TS-A . . . . . . . . . 7 Operator service 1 TS-C 8Channel 4 TS-B 9 Channel 5 TS-B . . . . . . . . . 23  Operator Service 2TS-C 24  — — . . . . . . . . .

The host controls reception of programme material according to the finalcomposite NIT at a step 380. This may involve displaying data such asbroadcast electronic programme guide data, with associated LCNs, toallow for user selection of a channel for reproduction on the basis ofthe LCN.

As discussed above, if only one potential available location iscommunicated to the CICAM at the step 340, then the step 350 simplybecomes a step of accepting the change to the conflicting LCN.Alternatively the CAM can assert a different LCN altogether for thatservice.

The step 320 may be omitted, or more accurately combined with the step340, so that the CICAM is notified of the collision and of the availablealternative location at a single stage.

Note that the techniques are not restricted to the combination of onlytwo NITs; if different sources of NIT are available, they can becombined into a composite NIT using these techniques, such that anyconflicts of LCN are addressed as described above.

Although the embodiments have been described in the context of broadcastover radio frequency channels such as satellite or terrestrial channels,it will be appreciated that the techniques are equally suitable to thebroadcast of data by other ways, such as by an internet protocol (IP)broadcast system or via a cable distribution system. In each case, theterm “tuner” applies to a part of the system which selects one transportstream rather than another, even if that selection process does notinvolve a radio frequency tuning operation.

If the host is in fact capable of handling two services on the same LCN,it need not inform the CAM of a collision and can instead ask the userto select one of the two variants of the service for a particular LCN.

Embodiments also include a data signal, being a signal within theapparatus as described, in particular (though not exclusively) a signalas passed from the host to the CAM or set of CAMs, or the return signal.A storage medium such as a memory by which such a signal is stored isalso considered as an embodiment of the present disclosure. The storagemedium may be, for example, a non-transitory machine-readable storagemedium.

Embodiments of the disclosure also include: an audio/video contentreceiver being configured to receive media content from a content sourceby a broadcast data path, the media content being arranged as aplurality of media channels, the content receiver comprising:

a host module having a tuner configured to assign logical channelindices to the media channels to allow selection, at the host module, ofone or more of the media channels for reproduction by selecting thecorresponding logical channel index, the host module storing channelassociation data associating the logical channel indices with thereceived media channels;

a removable conditional access module (CAM), the CAM having an accesscontrol unit for decoding access-controlled encoded broadcast content,the host module and the removable CAM being arranged to provide anencrypted communication link for decoded access-controlled encodedbroadcast content between the conditional access module and the hostmodule;

in which:

the host module is configured to acquire channel association data viathe broadcast data path;

the CAM is configured to provide further channel association data to thehost module;

the host module comprises a detector configured to detect a conflict oflogical channel index between the channel association data acquired bythe host from the broadcast data path and the channel association dataprovided by the CAM and, in the case of a conflict, to provide to theCAM information representing the logical channel index on which theconflict has occurred.

Embodiments of the disclosure also provide a CAM operable to receiveinformation representing the logical channel index on which the conflicthas occurred.

Embodiments of the disclosure also include an audio/video contentreceiver being configured to receive media content from a content sourceby a broadcast data path, the media content being arranged as aplurality of media channels, the content receiver comprising:

a host module having a tuner configured to assign logical channelindices to the media channels to allow selection, at the host module, ofone or more of the media channels for reproduction by selecting thecorresponding logical channel index, the host module storing channelassociation data associating the logical channel indices with thereceived media channels;

a removable conditional access module (CAM), the CAM having an accesscontrol unit for decoding access-controlled encoded broadcast content,the host module and the removable CAM being arranged to provide anencrypted communication link for decoded access-controlled encodedbroadcast content between the conditional access module and the hostmodule;

in which:

the host module is configured to acquire channel association data viathe broadcast data path;

the CAM is configured to provide further channel association data to thehost module;

the host module comprises a detector configured to detect a conflict oflogical channel index between the channel association data acquired bythe host from the broadcast data path and the channel association dataprovided by the CAM and, in the case of a conflict, to detect one ormore unused logical channel indices which are numerically closest to thelogical channel index on which the conflict has occurred.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide CAM configured to receive one ormore unused logical channel indices which are numerically closest to thelogical channel index on which the conflict has occurred.

More generally, it will be appreciated that where a technical feature ofan embodiment is described here in respect of one item communicatingcertain data to another item, both the data-sending and thedata-receiving items in this communication are considered as respectiveembodiments of the present disclosure.

Insofar as embodiments have been implemented, at least in part, usingthe software-controlled data processing apparatus, it will beappreciated that such software, and a medium by which the software isprovisioned (such as a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium,for example a magnetic or optical disc or a non-volatile memory) arealso considered as embodiments of the present disclosure.

It will be apparent that numerous modifications and variations of thepresent disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It istherefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims,the technology may be practised otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An audio/video content receiver beingconfigured to receive media content from a content source by a broadcastdata path, the media content being arranged as a plurality of mediachannels, the content receiver comprising: host circuitry having a tunerconfigured to assign logical channel indices to the media channels toallow selection, at the host circuitry, of one or more of the mediachannels for reproduction by selecting the corresponding logical channelindex, the host circuitry storing channel association data associatingthe logical channel indices with the received media channels; and aremovable conditional access circuitry configured to decodeaccess-controlled encoded broadcast content, the host circuitry and theremovable conditional access circuitry being arranged to provide anencrypted communication link for decoded access-controlled encodedbroadcast content between the removable conditional access circuitry andthe host circuitry, wherein; the host circuitry is configured to acquirechannel association data via the broadcast data path; the removableconditional access circuitry is configured to provide further channelassociation data to the host circuitry; the host circuitry comprises adetector configured to detect a conflict of logical channel indexbetween the channel association data acquired by the host from thebroadcast data path and the channel association data provided by theremovable conditional access circuitry and, in the case of a conflict,to detect one or more unused logical channel indices for offering to theremovable conditional access circuitry; and the removable conditionalaccess circuitry is configured to do one of; select one of the unusedlogical channel indices for use by a media channel for which the logicalchannel index defined in the removable conditional access circuitry'schannel association data conflicts with a logical channel index definedin the host circuitry's channel association data; or the removableconditional access circuitry responds with a request to the hostcircuitry for a different logical channel index to be offered; or theremovable conditional access circuitry sets a different logical channelindex for use by a media channel for which the logical channel indexdefined in the removable conditional access circuitry's channelassociation data conflicts with a logical channel index defined in thehost circuitry's channel association data.
 2. The receiver according toclaim 1 in which the removable conditional access circuitry and thecontent source are configured to establish a secure communications linkvia an internet data connection.
 3. The receiver according to claim 2,in which the removable conditional access circuitry is configured tocommunicate to the content source that a logical channel index of achannel defined by the removable conditional access circuitry's channelassociation data has been changed in response to a conflict with thehost circuitry's channel association data.
 4. The receiver according toclaim 2, in which the removable conditional access circuitry isconfigured to obtain the removable conditional access circuitry'schannel association data, at least in part, from the content sourceusing the communications link.
 5. The receiver according to claim 1,wherein the removable conditional access circuitry is configured toobtain the removable conditional access circuitry's channel associationdata, at least in part, from broadcast data addressed to a subset ofremovable conditional access circuitry of which the removableconditional access circuitry is a member.
 6. The receiver according toclaim 1, in which the host circuitry and the removable conditionalaccess circuitry are arranged to provide an encrypted communication linkfor decoded access-controlled encoded broadcast content between theremovable conditional access circuitry and the host circuitry.
 7. Thereceiver according to claim 1, in which the content source is configuredto send data to the host circuitry as one or more of: internet protocol(IP) data, satellite broadcast data, terrestrial television broadcastdata and cable broadcast data.
 8. The receiver according to claim 1, inwhich the removable conditional access circuitry is a removableconditional access circuitry according to the Common Interface plusstandard.
 9. The receiver according to claim 1, in which the channelassociation data comprises a network information table (NIT).
 10. Thereceiver according to claim 1, the receiver being configured to displaya channel selection list to allow user selection of a channel accordingto the logical channel index associated with that channel.
 11. Thereceiver according to claim 1, in which the host circuitry isconfigured, in the case of a conflict, to provide to the removableconditional access circuitry information representing the logicalchannel index at which a conflict has occurred.
 12. The receiveraccording to claim 1, in which the host circuitry is configured, in thecase of a conflict, to detect one or more unused logical channel indiceswhich are numerically closest to the logical channel index at which aconflict has occurred.
 13. An audio/video content reception method forreceiving media content from a content source by a broadcast data pathby a receiver having a host circuitry and a removable conditional accesscircuitry, the removable conditional access circuitry having an accesscontrol unit for decoding access-controlled encoded broadcast content,the host circuitry and the removable conditional access circuitry beingarranged to provide an encrypted communication link for decodedaccess-controlled encoded broadcast content between the removableconditional access circuitry and the host circuitry, the media contentbeing arranged as a plurality of media channels, the method comprising:the host circuitry assigning logical channel indices to the mediachannels to allow selection, at the host circuitry, of one or more ofthe media channels for reproduction by selecting the correspondinglogical channel index; the host circuitry storing channel associationdata associating the logical channel indices with the received mediachannels; the host circuitry acquiring channel association data via thebroadcast data path; the removable conditional access circuitryproviding further channel association data to the host circuitry; thehost circuitry detecting a conflict of logical channel index between thechannel association data acquired by the host from the broadcast datapath and the channel association data provided by the removableconditional access circuitry and, in the case of a conflict, detectingone or more unused logical channel indices for offering to the removableconditional access circuitry; and the removable conditional accesscircuitry selecting one of the unused logical channel indices for use bya media channel for which the logical channel index defined in theremovable conditional access circuitry's channel association dataconflicts with a logical channel index defined in the host circuitry'schannel association data or the removable conditional access circuitryresponding with a request to the host circuitry for a different logicalchannel index to be offered; or the removable conditional accesscircuitry setting a different logical channel index for use by a mediachannel for which the logical channel index defined in the removableconditional access circuitry's channel association data conflicts with alogical channel index defined in the host circuitry's channelassociation data.
 14. A removable conditional access circuitry for usein an audio/video content receiver being configured to receive mediacontent from a content source by a broadcast data path, the mediacontent being arranged as a plurality of media channels, the contentreceiver comprising a host circuitry having a tuner configured to assignlogical channel indices to the media channels to allow selection, at thehost circuitry, of one or more of the media channels for reproduction byselecting the corresponding logical channel index, the host circuitrystoring channel association data associating the logical channel indiceswith the received media channels, the host circuitry being configured toacquire channel association data via the broadcast data path; theremovable conditional access circuitry having an access control unit fordecoding access-controlled encoded broadcast content, the host circuitryand the removable conditional access circuitry being arranged to providean encrypted communication link for decoded access-controlled encodedbroadcast content between the removable conditional access circuitry andthe host circuitry; in which: the removable conditional access circuitryis configured to provide further channel association data to the hostcircuitry; in response to the detection of a conflict of logical channelindex between the channel association data acquired by the host from thebroadcast data path and the channel association data provided by theremovable conditional access circuitry and a detection, by the host, ofone or more unused logical channel indices, the removable conditionalaccess circuitry is configured to select one of the unused logicalchannel indices for use by a media channel for which the logical channelindex defined in the removable conditional access circuitry's channelassociation data conflicts with a logical channel index defined in thehost's channel association data or the removable conditional accesscircuitry configured to respond with a request to the host circuitry fora different logical channel index to be offered; or the removableconditional access circuitry configured to set a different logicalchannel index for use by a media channel for which the logical channelindex defined in the removable conditional access circuitry's channelassociation data conflicts with a logical channel index defined in thehost circuitry's channel association data.
 15. A method of operation ofa removable conditional access circuitry for use in an audio/videocontent receiver being configured to receive media content from acontent source by a broadcast data path, the media content beingarranged as a plurality of media channels, the content receivercomprising a host circuitry having a tuner configured to assign logicalchannel indices to the media channels to allow selection, at the hostcircuitry, of one or more of the media channels for reproduction byselecting the corresponding logical channel index, the host circuitrystoring channel association data associating the logical channel indiceswith the received media channels, the host circuitry being configured toacquire channel association data via the broadcast data path; theremovable conditional access circuitry having an access control unit fordecoding access-controlled encoded broadcast content, the host circuitryand the removable conditional access circuitry being arranged to providean encrypted communication link for decoded access-controlled encodedbroadcast content between the removable conditional access circuitry andthe host circuitry; the method comprising: providing further channelassociation data to the host circuitry; and in response to the detectionof a conflict of logical channel index between the channel associationdata acquired by the host from the broadcast data path and the channelassociation data provided by the removable conditional access circuitryand a detection, by the host, of one or more unused logical channelindices, selecting one of the unused logical channel indices for use bya media channel for which the logical channel index defined in theremovable conditional access circuitry's channel association dataconflicts with a logical channel index defined in the host's channelassociation data or the removable conditional access circuitryresponding with a request to the host circuitry for a different logicalchannel index to be offered; or the removable conditional accesscircuitry setting a different logical channel index for use by a mediachannel for which the logical channel index defined in the removableconditional access circuitry's channel association data conflicts with alogical channel index defined in the host circuitry's channelassociation data.
 16. A host circuitry for use in an audio/video contentreceiver being configured to receive media content from a content sourceby a broadcast data path, the media content being arranged as aplurality of media channels, the host circuitry having a tunerconfigured to assign logical channel indices to the media channels toallow selection, at the host circuitry, of one or more of the mediachannels for reproduction by selecting the corresponding logical channelindex, the host circuitry storing channel association data associatingthe logical channel indices with the received media channels and beingconnectable to a removable conditional access circuitry, the removableconditional access circuitry having an access control unit for decodingaccess-controlled encoded broadcast content, the host circuitry and theremovable conditional access circuitry being arranged to provide anencrypted communication link for decoded access-controlled encodedbroadcast content between the removable conditional access circuitry andthe host circuitry; in which: the host circuitry is configured toacquire channel association data via the broadcast data path and toreceive further channel association data from the removable conditionalaccess circuitry; and the host circuitry comprises a detector configuredto detect a conflict of logical channel index between the channelassociation data acquired by the host from the broadcast data path andthe channel association data provided by the removable conditionalaccess circuitry and, in the case of a conflict, the host circuitry isconfigured to notify the removable conditional access circuitry of theconflict and providing the removable conditional access circuitry withlogical channel index at which the conflict occurs.
 17. A method ofoperation of a host circuitry in an audio/video content receiver beingconfigured to receive media content from a content source by a broadcastdata path, the media content being arranged as a plurality of mediachannels, the host circuitry having a tuner configured to assign logicalchannel indices to the media channels to allow selection, at the hostcircuitry, of one or more of the media channels for reproduction byselecting the corresponding logical channel index, the host circuitrystoring channel association data associating the logical channel indiceswith the received media channels and being connectable to a removableconditional access circuitry, the removable conditional access circuitryhaving an access control unit for decoding access-controlled encodedbroadcast content, the host circuitry and the removable conditionalaccess circuitry being arranged to provide an encrypted communicationlink for decoded access-controlled encoded broadcast content between theremovable conditional access circuitry and the host circuitry; themethod comprising: acquiring channel association data via the broadcastdata path and to receive further channel association data from theremovable conditional access circuitry; and detecting a conflict oflogical channel index between the channel association data acquired bythe host from the broadcast data path and the channel association dataprovided by the removable conditional access circuitry and, in the caseof a conflict, the host circuitry is notifies the removable conditionalaccess circuitry of the conflict and provides the removable conditionalaccess circuitry with logical channel index at which the conflictoccurs.
 18. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computerprogram instructions, which when executed by a computer causes thecomputer to perform the method of claim 13.